CYGNET GROUP - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Hospital Harrow As a Social Worker
- Senior Social Worker and Safeguarding Lead
Afifa joined Cygnet Hospital Harrow as a Social Worker in 2022 after completing her MA in Social Work. Since then, she has progressed to the role of Senior Social Worker and Safeguarding Lead.
Afifa is passionate about partnership working, advocacy, and collaborating with service users, families, and external stakeholders. She has also been appointed as the Carers Lead for Cygnet Hospital Harrow, where she facilitates various forums and events.
In 2024, Afifa was nominated and shortlisted for Cygnet's ‘Social Worker of the Year' award.
Job Titles:
- Hospital Harrow in 2018 As a Staff Nurse
- Roxeth Ward Manager
Alexandra joined Cygnet Hospital Harrow in 2018 as a staff nurse on the Springs Unit. Prior to joining Cygnet Health Care she worked in the NHS on female psychiatric intensive care and personality disorder units.
Alexandra was later promoted to team leader on the Springs Unit and later became Ward Manger for the Springs Wing in March 2020. In October 2022 she was appointed ward manager of Byron Ward. Alexandra has also worked as a Mental Health Nursing Lecturer at West London University teaching new, prospective nurses and associates at Level 5 and 6.
With the opening of the new PICU service in December 2024, at Harrow, Alexandra will be taking over as the Ward Manager for Roxeth Ward.
In her spare time Alexandra enjoys the outdoors, particularly hiking and skiing, but also spending time with family and travelling.
Job Titles:
- Ayimbire - Larch Court and Chestnut Court Ward Manager
- Registered Mental Health Nurse
Benjamin Abass is a registered mental health nurse with over 14 years post qualification experience with a Masters of Philosophy in Clinical Health Psychology, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Registered Diploma in Mental Health Nursing.
He joined Cygnet in 2021 and has worked in complex personality disorder, acute, low secure and learning disability services as a registered mental nurse, clinical team leader and a deputy head of care.
He is currently working as a Ward Manager for Chestnut Court and Larch Court based on his passion for learning disability and autism.
His hobbies includes rendering healthcare services to the vulnerable, conducting research, listening to music, travelling and taking on new adventures.
Caitlin is a counselling psychologist who is in her final year of doctorate studies. Caitlin has seven years' experience working in secure services, especially with drug and alcohol rehabilitation. Caitlin brings her specialist knowledge and experience of trauma informed care to Cygnet Adarna House. Caitlin has extensive knowledge of mental health conditions, relationship difficulties, personality disorders and using psychoeducation with individuals on the autism spectrum.
As a counselling psychologist Caitlin brings a humanistic and philosophical approach which underpins to her work. Caitlin uses various models and cognitive behavioural therapies to support our service users at Cygnet Adarna House, all approaches are person centred and tailors treatment to the individual's needs.
Charlotte joined Cygnet in 2022 initially working at Cygnet Hospital Wyke before transferring to Cygnet Adarna House.
Charlotte is a HR Administrator and supports the team in relation to all administration duties, ensuring reports are completed and timescales are met, together with making sure all staff training is kept up to date and monitored and dealing with day to day administration duties. Charlotte also plays a part in attending meetings to undertake to take minutes of meetings, for both internal and teams meetings.
Cherry initially joined Cygnet Hospital Colchester in December 2021 as a newly qualified Mental Health Nurse. Cherry completed her preceptorship progressing on to a Staff Nurse on Ramsey Unit. Cherry then went on to become a Clinical Team Leader in April 2023 before becoming Ward Manager of Oak Court in 2024. Previously Cherry was an assistant psychologist for IAPT and has experience of both mental health and learning disability settings.
D'Monte have been working in mental health since 2003. He began as a support worker and became more and more interested in mental health, which led him to pursue a career in nursing. D'Monte qualified in 2010 and has since gained experience as a staff nurse, team leader and ward manager. He joined Cygnet Hospital Stevenage in 2019 as their low secure service ward manager. He was then appointed ward manager of Pattison Ward before moving to Cygnet Hospital Harrow in 2025 as Clinical Service Manager.
He takes pride in trying to ensure that we deliver a high standard of care for our patients and ensure that the wellbeing of our staff is maintained.
In his spare time D'Monte enjoys going to the gym, going for walks, cooking and learning about really random facts.
Job Titles:
- Group Property Director
- Member of the Executive Management Board
David is a chartered surveyor with significant experience in property development, facilities maintenance, health and safety management, procurement and executive management. His experience in the retail sector includes being Property Director and Operations Director at Regent Inns plc and Property and Tenancy Director at Young's Brewery plc.
David's inspiration for joining the care sector is his aunt who has learning and physical disabilities. David's care sector experience includes being Property & Procurement Director at Cambian plc, and most recently Property Director at Caretech plc.
Outside of work David enjoys watching Harlequins rugby team and helping out at Battersea and his local RSPCA. He is also a trustee on the Council at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.
Job Titles:
- Director of Nursing
- Member of the Executive Management Board
A Registered Nurse for more than 20 years, David has worked across a number of services including acute and mental health. David has experience of commissioning services from within the NHS, which gives him insight into the things that really matter to our service users and clients. David is keen to work closely with Commissioners to build productive relationships that will provide the foundation to excellent outcomes for those in our care.
David has a passion for Nursing Leadership, involving patients and residents in the improvement of services, and for patient safety. David is also Cygnet's Mental Health (Use of Force) Act Responsible Person.
Job Titles:
- Quality and Compliance Manager
Donna joined Cygnet Hospital Colchester as the Quality and Compliance Manager in September 2022.
Donna has over 20 years' experience of working within Mental Health services in various settings. She started career in mental health over 20 years ago before moving onto becoming the Director of clinical services within the private sector.
Donna has an in depth knowledge of clinical governance framework and its applications in health care setting including risk management, compliance standards and external reporting including incident investigation. Creating a positive work environment, conflict resolution, accepting change, utilizing policies and procedures as guilds', and staff coaching.
Donna is a strategic thinker with an ability to create feasible plans for improvement and to devise appropriate implementation strategies.
Job Titles:
- Clinical Psychologist
- Consultant
Allison is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist who completed her first psychology degree and clinical training in New Zealand, and has worked as a clinical psychologist in the UK since 1992. Allison started out in the NHS working predominantly in adult mental health and primary care services, but also in Child and Family Services and Community Mental Health Teams before specialising in Forensic Services both in the NHS and in the private sector in 1997.
Allison was appointed to a Consultant Clinical Psychologist position in low secure forensic Learning disabilities services in 1999, and has worked as a consultant clinical psychologist across a number of secure inpatient services for patients with a range of mental health problems, learning disabilities, personality disorders, and offending behaviour. Allison has been working for Cygnet Health Care since 2010 and has a particular interest in forensic mental health and personality disorders.
Dr Khan undertook general psychiatric training at St. Georges Psychiatric Training Scheme. He worked in medium secure setting for some time at Springfield hospital and then in Learning Disability Psychiatry at North London Higher Training scheme subsequently worked as a Consultant Psychiatrist in the Barnet and Enfield NHS trust.
After working in NHS for 5 years he joined Priory hospital and worked in inpatient unit for people with Autism and Learning disabilities. He is passionate about quality improvement, recovery and involvement of service users and family in care planning and the delivery of services. He is an Approved Clinician (AC) for the purposes of the Mental Health Act 1983. He is ADOS 2 trained and is involved in Autism diagnostics assessment clinic in Harrow.
Dr Khan joined Cygnet Hospital Harrow in October 2017 as the Consultant Psychiatrist for Spring Centre and he played a pivotal role in setting up the Inpatient unit. He was appointed as Medical Director of Cygnet Hospital Harrow and Cygnet Lodge Kenton in January 2020.
Dr Khan also has longstanding academic interests in offender health, safeguarding and medico legal aspects of Learning Disability psychiatry including psychiatric defences, risk assessment and risk management. He also has special interest in Bipolar Disorder, OCD and Depression.
Job Titles:
- Executive
- Member of the Executive Management Board
- Group Clinical Director
- Medical Manager
Jon is a Consultant General Adult Psychiatrist and Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Jon has worked as a medical manager in the NHS and independent sector in different medical director roles. Jon was part of the first cohort of Medical Leadership Trainees in the North West Deanery and completed the NHS Graduate Management scheme alongside his higher specialist training. Jon was promoted to the Group Clinical Director role for Cygnet Health Care in January 2020, after joining Cygnet as Regional Medical Director for the South and London area.
Jon chairs the Group Clinical Governance, Drug and Therapeutics committee and is Cygnet's Caldicott Guardian. Jon has led on the implementation of updated Clinical Models of Care across all service lines, launching successful recruitment initiatives for clinicians, co-created clinical dashboards and several quality improvement initiatives.
Jon has been involved with various different positions within the Royal College of Psychiatrists throughout his career, including past national chair of the Psychiatric Trainees Committee, elected member for the North West division and is the co-chair of the RCPsych Co-Production steering group that aim to share and produce best practice guidance for mental health organisations. Jon was elected as the national chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists' General Adult Faculty (largest Faculty in the College) in 2023 after serving as an elected member of the faculty executive since 2019.
Jon is an Executive MBA candidate at the Warwick University Business School (London) completing a scholarship awarded programme (Healthcare specialism). Jon completed media training in 2019 and has since been a regular spokesperson for the College and Cygnet with television and radio appearances and contributed to newspaper, online and print journalism.
Jon's main interests include digital transformation, system leadership, service improvement and change management within healthcare settings. Jon has published in the areas of medical leadership, recruitment and training of psychiatrists. In his spare time Jon likes to explore new places, go hiking and is a PADI approved Scuba diver.
Job Titles:
- Associate Medical Director
- Consultant
- Psychiatrist
Dr Rahman is a Consultant Psychiatrist and the Responsible Clinician for Roxeth Ward, the Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Cygnet Hospital Harrow. He also serves as the Associate Medical Director at the hospital.
Dr Rahman graduated from St Bartholomew's and the Royal London Medical School and completed his core and higher psychiatric training under the St Mary's and Charing Cross training schemes in London. He joined Cygnet in August 2024, having previously worked as a PICU Consultant in the NHS.
In addition to his Consultant role, Dr. Rahman has held positions as Trustwide Physical Health Lead in Mental Health Services, Trustwide Quality Improvement Lead, LNC Representative for Kensington & Chelsea, and Accredited Clinical and Education Supervisor. He is a Board Member for CPDO and QNPICU/CCQI at the Royal College of Psychiatrists of the United Kingdom and collaborates with various charitable organizations in developing countries. He is also an Executive Member of the National Association of Psychiatric Intensive Care Units (NAPICU).
Dr. Rahman has received awards for his quality improvement work in enhancing physical health in mental health settings and reducing violence in psychiatric intensive care settings. He was also recently recognized as "Trainer of the Year" for one of the largest mental health NHS trusts in the United Kingdom.
Dr Rahman has been involved in various quality improvement initiatives across different mental health services and has published his work extensively. He is an examiner for the Royal College of Psychiatrists and Imperial College Medical School, and has authored a book chapter on the management of violence in inpatient mental health settings, published by Cambridge University Press.
Dr Iyer joined the team at Cygnet Hospital Colchester as a Consultant Psychiatrist in November 2018 and became the Medical Director for the hospital in November 2019. He qualified in India with his primary medical education (MBBS) in 2001 and been a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the UK since 2010 (MRC Psych).He is approved under the Section 12 (2) of the Mental Health Act 1983. He has completed Post Graduate Diploma in Management and Organisational Dynamics from University of Essex in 2015 offered jointly by Essex Business School and the Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies as this integrated approach provided a deeper analysis of the way organisations function and the nature of leadership.
Dr Iyer has more than 15 years of Psychiatric experience working both in NHS and Independent Sector. He has worked in various settings including Low Secure Female Personality Disorder service, PICU, Male Low Secure Service, acute wards, Learning Disability wards and in community settings. Dr Iyer was a Reviewer at the Royal College CCQI for Peer Reviews.
He is Passionate about patient involvement in their treatment and all parts of the Mental Health services as patient-centred care have better outcomes. He also believes physically active patients have better mental health.
Job Titles:
- Group CEO
- Member of the Executive Management Board
Dr. Romero graduated as a Doctor of Medicine in Spain and went on to complete his psychiatric training within the NHS North London rotations. In 2002, he became Director of Psychiatric Services for NHP Plc. In 2004, Dr. Romero co-founded Cambian Group, which went on to become one of the largest independent healthcare providers in the U.K.
As Group Clinical Director he created Cambian's unique model of care ‘Active Care' which was key to Cambian's success. He was assigned Managing Director responsibility for the adult division, before leading a management buyout from Cambian Group Plc to UHS in 2016 and becoming CEO of Cambian Adult Services. In November 2017 Dr Romero was appointed Group CEO of Cygnet.
Job Titles:
- Occupational Therapist
- Specialist
Ella-Louise is a specialist Occupational Therapist with over three years' experience working with Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder and mental illness in a Low Secure setting. Ella-Louise joined Cygnet at the end of 2021 and has been part of the team who established Adarna House as a service. Ella-Louise is registered with the health care professions council and a member of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists.
Job Titles:
- Coordinator
- Head of Occupational Therapy
- Specialist
Emmanuel is a highly Specialist, HCPC registered occupational therapist who joined Cygnet in 2021 as a newly graduate, then progressed to the head of occupational therapy. Emmanuel has a good experience of working in mental health care industry. Skilled in supporting patients to regain independence in all areas of their lives and breaking barriers that affect their emotional, social, and physical needs.
Emmanuel is the student coordinator/educator for south region, working with universities to provide placement opportunities for occupational therapy students. Also has Bsc in humanities, completed level 3 supervisor/management training.
Fiona joined Cygnet in November 2021 and is one of the Administrators at Cygnet Adarna House. Fiona's background is in administration though this is her first role in the care sector. Fiona's role is to ensure that all the admin at Cygnet Adarna House is done in a timely fashion.
Job Titles:
- Chartered Management Accountant
- Member of the Executive Management Board
- CEO Social Care Division
- Managing Director for Social Care
Gareth is a Chartered Management Accountant (ACMA & CGMA) and has over 12 years' experience in executive board roles across the Independent Social Care Sector, including Chief Financial Officer, Chief Commercial Officer and Deputy CEO roles at Choice Care and prior to that, Group Financial Controller at the Cambian Group. Gareth also led on the sale of Choice Care to Icon Infrastructure in 2018.
Gareth joined Cygnet in April 2022 as the Managing Director for Social Care, then became CEO of Cygnet Social Care in October 2022. Both quality and outcomes remain Gareth's key focus and the most important people in the business are the service users and staff that he supports.
In his spare time, Gareth is a keen traveller and he also coaches rugby within the junior framework at London Welsh RFC.
James joined Cygnet Hospital Colchester in October 2019 as a Clinical Team Leader and progressed to Ward Manager of Ramsey Ward in February 2020 where he built a formidable team. Since qualifying in M.Sc. Mental Health Nursing at the prestigious University of Essex 2017, he has worked at Oaktree Manor where he progressed up the ranks of a Charge Nurse.
James has gained extensive experience in Forensic, Learning Disability and Personality Disorder in low secure services. He has worked with a variety of service users with complex mental health needs.
Since August 2022 James was transferred to Highwood ward (Acute) as a Ward manager where he is passionate about building a team giving them the access, tools, skills and right support for each member of the team to excel, whilst working closely with service users to increase their access to the community through positive risk taking, and also to ensure their stay as an in-patient setting is not prolonged once they have received their treatment and gain recovery.
Job Titles:
- in 2012 As a Staff Nurse
- Springs Services
Jane Wahinya joined Cygnet in 2012 as a staff nurse and later was promoted to a team leader position in 2015. In 2016, Jane became the ward manager for the Springs Wing and later the ward manager for Springs Centre. In 2018 Jane received the Cygnet Hospital Harrow 'Employee of the Year' award.
Job Titles:
- HR Director
- Member of the Executive Management Board
Jenny began her career in HR in the railway industry, subsequently taking on a variety of HR roles, and building a keen interest in employment law. Moving into healthcare in 2005 with Cambian, Jenny was initially the sole HR person in the group. She was able to put into place systems and processes to support the business and grow the team.
As Cygnet's HR Director Jenny has the responsibility and privilege of managing a great group of people who look after resourcing, learning and development, HR operations and projects. In her spare time Jenny loves exploring new places and enjoys skiing and other outdoor activities.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Management Board
- Director of Corporate Governance
Having completed her studies in law and whilst undertaking further studies in medical law and ethics, Kaajal started out her career in projects in the charity sector. She then embarked on a career in the NHS. Kaajal went on to hold several senior governance, quality improvement, risk and compliance roles in complex, multisite NHS organisations.
Prior to joining Cygnet, Kaajal was Chief Quality and Governance Officer for a large care provider and charity for adults with learning disabilities, as well as being their CQC nominated individual. Her portfolio included corporate governance, quality assurance and CQC compliance, incidents and safeguarding, complaints and service user experience, health and safety, risk management, and positive behavioural support.
Outside of work Kaajal enjoys visiting art galleries, loves all kinds of music, walking outdoors, reading, and above all, spending time with her family.
Job Titles:
- Clinical Services Manager
Kudzi is an accomplished Clinical Services Manager and Infection Prevention and Control Lead, driven by a passion for excellence in the healthcare industry. With a strong foundation in communication, management, and leadership, he strives to inspire and empower those around him. Kudzi's expertise spans forensic settings, mental health, acute care, PICU, ASD, and learning disabilities, reflecting his commitment to making a meaningful impact.
Kudzi holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Hertfordshire, along with an MSc in Infection Control from the University of Essex. He is dedicated to advancing the standards of care and fostering a culture of safety and compassion.
Lee Hammon - Chief Commercial Officer
Job Titles:
- Chief Commercial Officer
- Member of the Executive Management Board
Lee joined Cygnet on the graduate programme after gaining a 1st class honours in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge in 2000. His first substantive role was in 2001 where he was a General Manager for the St Andrew's/Cygnet joint venture.
Since then, he has moved on to commission and operationally manage hospitals at Hospital Manager and Regional Director level, prior to his appointment as Managing Director (South) in November 2008. During this time, he was responsible for a number of hospital ‘turn-arounds'. He is currently the Chief Commercial Officer, responsible for managing the company's vast array of NHS and Local Authority relationships, as well as identifying opportunities for business development and growth.
Outside of work, Lee is a keen footballer and has indeed helped Cygnet Hospital Beckton to win the company's heavily-contested football tournament five times in total.
Job Titles:
- Director of Communications
- Member of the Executive Management Board
Lucy joined Cygnet in 2019 and established the in-house Communications function, bringing together a small team of professionals to deliver internal comms, PR, external relations and engagement.
A positive collaborator committed to creating communications that inspire, inform and deliver results, Lucy was proud to be appointed to lead the Communications and Marketing Directorate in 2024. Motivated by the impressive outcomes and quality of care provided across Cygnet services, the Directorate is privileged to share compelling and innovative content to position Cygnet as a leading provider of mental health and social care services across the UK.
As a trained journalist, Lucy's background in Communications has seen her undertake roles across public, private and charity sectors. She has worked with police forces to provide strategic media counsel and has headed up communications for the NSPCC and ChildLine in the North of England, delivering public awareness and education campaigns.
Immediately before joining Cygnet Lucy worked with NHS England to deliver stakeholder communications and marketing activity to primary care services.
Outside work, Lucy loves spending time with her two young children. In a former life she was a dance teacher and occasionally still enjoys a night out at the ballet.
Lynn qualified as Registered General Nurse (RGN) in 1992 and Registered Mental Nurse (RMN) in 1996. She has a vast experience of working in a variety of roles within the NHS, predominantly in mental health, both in inpatient and community settings. She also completed a BSc (Hons) in Specialist Mental Health Practice in 2008.
Prior to joining Cygnet Health Care in March 2022, Lynn was Associate Director of inpatient and emergency care services, holding a large portfolio of services across multiple sites. This included an Assessment Unit, PICU's, acute inpatient mental health wards, dementia ward, care homes, mental health liaison teams, crisis and home treatment teams, neuromodulation service. A significant part of her role also involved transformation and redesign of existing services as well as setting up of new services.
Lynn is keen that her services deliver the best possible experience for the people who are using them and that her teams feel valued. She strives to ensure that service users and their carers are as involved in decision making about their care as they are able to be.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Member of the Executive Management Board
- Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants
Mark is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICAEW) and comes from a strong professional background. Having graduated from Exeter University, he spent eight years with Arthur Andersen, in both the Audit and Advisory and Consulting divisions. He moved on to Whitehead Mann Group Plc for six years, where he held the position of Group Finance Director and Company Secretary.
Mark joined Cygnet as Chief Financial Officer in December 2008. He is a statutory director and is primarily responsible for the Finance and Procurement departments. In his spare time Mark is a keen sportsman and enjoys spending time with his family.
Martyn initially joined Cygnet Hospital Colchester in September 2019 and has worked as a Ward Manager within the NHS in both acute and rehabilitation mental health wards, prior to joining Cygnet Health Care.
Martyn has wealth of experience of working as a Nurse in acute mental health setting since qualifying in 2008.
Job Titles:
- Service Manager
- Service Manager at Cygnet Adarna House
Matthew is a dual-qualified care practitioner and experienced care professional within both health and social care. He began his journey working with people with learning disabilities in 1992 and later qualified from Manchester & Salford Universities with both the RNLD and DipSW. Matthew also holds a Pg Certificate in Management which has helped to shape his management style and leadership skills.
Matthew joined Cygnet in 2021 and is the CQC registered manager for Cygnet Adarna House.
As the Service Manager at Cygnet Adarna House, Matthew leads an MDT, all of whom play an essential part in the supportive and person-centred, high quality service that Cygnet Adarna House offers. Matthew is a passionate, holistic, empowering and person-centred practitioner. He takes pride in supporting and enabling service users to help them follow their chosen life paths on their journey to more independence and to reach their individual potential and goals.
Job Titles:
- Head of Occupational Therapy
Michelle qualified as an Occupational Therapist in 2011 in South Africa. She joined Cygnet Harrow in June 2022 to lead the Occupational Therapy department, having worked as an occupational therapist in vocational rehabilitation, SEN schools, and acute mental health care. She also gained experience in outdoor-based/ experiential learning with children, adolescents, and adults. Michelle is trained to conduct occupational therapy groups by using the Interactive Group Model. She is also trained in the Vona du Toit Model of Creative Ability model which allows her to provide therapeutic interventions through positive risk-taking.
Michelle has a passion for seeing people realise their full potential and discovering their true identities through engagement in activities. She loves travelling, ice cream, Wednesdays, and alpacas.
Waseem's interest in Mental health began in 2007, while studying BSc Human Biology and working as a part-time mental health support worker. He is a Registered Mental health Nurse who joined Cygnet Hospital Bierley in 2017 following the completion of his BSc Honours Nursing degree at the University of Huddersfield. Waseem has over 15 years' experience of working with adults who have a range of mental health support needs, including mental illness, personality disorder, eating disorders, brain injuries and learning disabilities.
Waseem came to Cygnet Hospital Bierley as a student nurse and since worked in various departments. He has progressed from RMN to Clinical Team Leader, following his move to Cygnet Adarna House in 2022.
Waseem has completed specialist training in caring for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. He is enthusiastic about delivering person-centred care and supporting service users in their recovery journey, within a therapeutic environment which is conducive to their needs. He is also a keen and supportive team player who will go above and beyond to support staff who want to achieve and progress in their career goals.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Management Board
- Chief Digital and Information Officer
Paul began his career in Electro-Mechanical engineering, moving into IT in the early 90s as a technical author, then systems engineer.
He began working in health care in 1998 with GE Healthcare as Head of Infrastructure for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) before becoming Chief Information Officer and subsequently Commercial Operations Director for EMEA. Paul was also Information Technology Director for St. Andrew's Healthcare, Chief Technology Officer for Eden Supported Living and Chief Digital Officer for BMI Healthcare and has spent 20 years in the healthcare industry.
Paul specialises in Digital Transformation and has led the strategic vision and implementation of digital initiatives and process reengineering across multiple businesses. As Cygnet's Chief Digital and Information Officer (CDIO) Paul has the responsibility to lead the digital transformation across the business which will benefit all our staff and service users and bring the business into a new era of digitally enabled mental healthcare.
Outside of work Paul is a keen musician with several albums on Spotify, Apple Music, etc. and his music has been featured on TV shows around the world.
Paul is a Social worker with over 18 years of experience in a variety of Adult teams for Essex County Council and Mental Health Low Secure services. He is qualified to deliver Dialectical Behavioural therapy and training in Behavioural family therapy
Paul's main role is to have responsibility for Safeguarding of the adults in our care. To ensure safeguarding incidents are reported appropriately, that risk management plans are in place. Paul maintains contact with Essex County Council, the care Quality Commission and the police as required.
Paul is also available for support and advice to the staff, patients and carers. His hobbies include hiking and cycling at home he enjoys gardening and DIY projects.
Rebecca Joined Cygnet in March 2024. Rebecca is an accomplished General Manager with over 16 years of experience specialising in Facilities and Estates Management. Throughout her career, Rebecca has developed a robust skill set encompassing Health and Safety (H&S), Catering, Domestic services, Procurement, Logistics, Maintenance and Front-of-house operations.
For the past 7 years, Rebecca has honed her expertise within clinical environments, ensuring seamless operations and optimal service delivery. Her leadership in these settings has been pivotal in maintaining high standards of safety, efficiency, and patient care.
Rebecca's comprehensive background enables her to effectively manage complex projects and teams, drive operational excellence, and foster a culture of continuous improvement. Rebecca is passionate about creating safe, welcoming, and efficient environments that support the core objectives of cygnet and its service users.
Ricky qualified in 2007 as a psychiatric nurse from the University of Brighton. Since qualifying he has gained extensive experience across numerous inpatient and community services including; acute, secure, and neuro-disability services.
Ricky has held various leadership posts including that of Hospital Manager before joining Cygnet Hospital Blackheath in early 2021. Ricky was appointed Hospital Manager of Cygnet Hospital Harrow in September 2023.
In his spare time he enjoys sports, particularly cycling which he often does to raise money for charity.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Management Board
- CEO Healthcare Division
Stephen Firn OBE has over 20 years' experience of NHS Trust Boards in clinical, strategic and chief executive positions; including CEO of Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, a mental health and community services provider. Until October 2020, he was programme director at NHS England and NHS Improvement, leading a national initiative to support provider collaboratives, and has held policy advisor roles at both the Department for Health and at the Royal College of Nursing. From 2018, through to late 2022, he held the positions of Non-Executive Director and Deputy Chair at Surrey and Borders NHS FT.
He joined Cygnet in January 2021 as an Independent Non-Executive Director, before becoming CEO of Cygnet's Healthcare division in October 2022. Stephen remains a Non-Executive Director at the housing, care and support charity Look Ahead.
During a varied career in healthcare, which began when he joined the NHS as a student psychiatric nurse, Stephen is the recipient of a number of honours, including an Honorary Doctorate from Canterbury Christ Church University for outstanding contribution to public life and an OBE for services to healthcare, particularly mental health.
Job Titles:
- Clinical Psychologist
- Head of Psychology
- Head of Psychology at Cygnet Hospital Harrow
Teika has been a clinical psychologist for over a decade, working in a variety of settings including; personality disorder services, secure services and community settings. In her most recent post she was head of psychology for a secure hospital and held a number of senior positions prior to this.
Teika is currently the head of psychology at Cygnet Hospital Harrow. She is psychodynamically and systemically minded in her practice, and her research interests include; reflective practice, compassion focused support for service users and staff, and training.
In her spare time, Teika enjoys spending time with her family, travelling, reading, and hiking.
Job Titles:
- General Manager
- General Manager of Cygnet Hospital Harrow
Tracy joined Cygnet Hospital Harrow in May 2005. For over 10 years Tracy managed the Administration Department whilst maintaining responsibility for HR within the Hospital.
Tracy was appointed General Manager of Cygnet Hospital Harrow in July 2018 and is responsible for all non-clinical services and operations across the site.
Job Titles:
- Senior Occupational Therapist
For Victoria, there are a number of stand-out reasons for being part of Cygnet - the autonomy she enjoys, the support she receives from her colleagues and the satisfaction of seeing her work help change lives…
Job Titles:
- Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist
Vijeta is a HCPC registered Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist who joined the team in September 2014. Prior to joining Cygnet, Vijeta has worked in a number of roles supporting children, young people and adults with a range of communication disorders, before specialising in working with people with Autism and Learning Disabilities.
Vijeta is responsible for the provision of high quality assessments and interventions relating to Speech, Language and Communication needs of all service users at Cygnet Hospital, Colchester.
Vijeta has an in-depth knowledge of the Transforming Care Agenda, inclusive communication and supports the team to apply the principles of the accessible information standard and 5 good communication standards into all areas of care and treatment.
As well as completing assessments and interventions for communication, Vijeta is dysphagia trained and provides assessment and management of swallowing difficulties in a range of settings.